United Cavers Exploration Team

Location
SH732421

Directions
Park in the Cynfal Falls car park on the B4391 from Llan Ffestiniog. From there walk down the road towards Llan Ffestiniog until the pit comes into sight on the right. It's best to access via the public footpath over a gate almost directly opposite the pit, as the country here can be one large morass in wet weather.


Access
As far as I know there are no access issues. The mine is ungated.

Suggested Equipment
none

Length
Adits from the pit, 50 yards.
Adits from the lower workings, 120 yards.

Flood Risk
None in the lower workings. The upper pit tends to be wet and is usually mid welly depth, but is drained from the access adit.

Mine Attributes
Slate

Description
An interesting, small and easy to navigate slate mine.
The upper twll has an access adit leading into the pit. From this, an adit leads into a small chamber, then carries on, ending in a blind drive. There is an unguarded shaft on the left before the adit entrance inside the pit.
Carry on along the tramway from the upper workings to the ruined drumhouse. Depending on the weather, there should be a super view of the Manods and the Moelwynion.
The lower workings are on a level track below the drumhouse. There is an adit on the right, just before the remains of the old steam mill. This is the original entrance, which leads into a chamber lit by a later opening to bank directly by the mill. A tunnel goes off at the back of the chamber into another, where the rock is coloured by iron leaching. After this, the tunnel splits, the left hand one ending after 50 yards in a blind drive.

The right hand one goes on until an attempt at roofing is reached. This was either abandoned or has been blocked.

The mine makes a pleasant mooch for an hour and has a very fine location. It's also near to Drum Quarry and Foel Gron.


Unexplored Passages
None


Links
http://robinsonmaps.blogspot.com/search/label/Beguiling%20Bryn%20Glas
http://www.aditnow.co.uk/mines/Bryn-glas-Slate-Mine/
http://www.mine-explorer.co.uk/mines/Bryn-glas_67/Bryn-glas.asp

Where the chamber has broken out to bank by the mill.

The wet adit to the higher workings

In the lower workings- the junction.

The Drumhouse from the upper workings

A winch cable in the first adit

Inside one of the adits in the lower workings

Excellent ... Thank you, this is precisely what this knowledge bank needs :) :) :)

Ian

As you can see from the artefacts this mine is clearly of Neolithic origin  :lol: